1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a guide apparatus, guide system, guide method, data processing apparatus, data processing method, program thereof, and recording medium thereof, which create customer data including point data concerning points given to users from shops and set each user as a point member.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wide spreading of conventional computers allow various data to be attained from homepages at various sites in WWW (World Wide Web) servers via Internet. Companies insert their advertisements in parts of homepages at predetermined advertisement fees.
There are frequently used homepages, i.e., frequently accessed homepages which are read by a number of users and give very high advertisement effectiveness. However, a number of advertisement indications are inserted in these homepages, so the advertisement effectiveness deteriorates. In addition, frequently accessed homepages raise advertisement fees for permitting display of advertisements because areas to be occupied by advertisements are limited. It is therefore vague whether a user who has watched a displayed advertisement will use actually the advertised company or not. Difficulties thus lie in efficiently achieving advertisement effectiveness. Alternatively, a mere advertisement may make users of a homepage feel troublesome.
When users search desired shops, shops are searched based on shop names in some known methods. It is however difficult to find out efficiently shops desired from various users. That is, efficient advertisement effectiveness cannot be easily achieved by conventional systems for displaying advertisements. In conventional methods for searching shops, users cannot efficiently find out desired shops.
Meanwhile, there is a known point system as follows. When a user uses a shop, some points are given to the user depending on contents of the use. Once points are stocked to some extent, various services can be offered to the user depending on the points. In this point system, each user enters requirements including personal data such as a full name or an address into a registration sheet at a shop, for example. Based on the entered requirements, a point card is issued on the spot or mailed later mail from the shop to each user as a point member. The shop inputs the requirements from an input terminal to let a database memorize customer data and data about the score of points given on the basis of use of the shop, together in one record for each user.
However, the service of inputting the requirements written on registration sheets must be carried out in the intervals between ordinary business services. Preparation and maintenance of customer data are therefore complicated. In recent years, a system has become known in which each user inputs those requirements at a point-card registration-site for registration on the WWW, to reduce the labor of inputting services at shops.
In this system of using a point-card registration-site, a user ID (identification) and a URL (Universal Resource Locator) of a WWW site for point-card registration are printed on a card distributed to each user from a shop. Based on these printed items, each user connects to the point-card registration-site through a personal computer or mobile phone, and enters requirements. Then, the requirements are stored as customer data in a database in a WWW server of the shop, to complete registration of each user. Point cards are mailed to users later.
In most cases, every user has memberships as point members belonging to plural shops. Each user therefore does not always grasp the shops whose memberships of point members the user has. In some cases, a user makes a double registration to a point card of one same shop although the user has once registered a point card of the same shop. Each user may thus often have plural point cards of one same shop. Suppose particularly a case that a user registers a point card at a spot far from the user's residence, place of employment, or school, e.g., a user registers a point card of a gas station or souvenir shop. In this case, the user rarely remembers that he or she has become the point member at the spot when the user passes or uses the spot.
Thus, the data quantity may increase undesirably due to multiple point-card registrations from one same person, complicating customer management at each shop. It is also difficult to manage shop data concerning shops to which a user belongs as point members. In addition, a poor achievement appears in advertisement effectiveness that a user wants to use one shop repeatedly because the user is a point member of the shop. Consequently, no progress may be expected in business results of shops, equivalent to the labor of data management.